


Should My Walls Fall

by OwlofLittleFaith



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Carla Yeager, Alive Carla Yeager, Alive!Farlan Church, Alive!Isabel Magnolia, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artist Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Bad Parenting, Bullying, Carla’s not very nice in this, Damaged Eren Yeager, Eren can’t talk in front of big groups, Eren is afraid of adult women, Grisha Yeager's Bad Parenting, High School Student Eren Yeager, High School Student Levi Ackerman, I just couldn’t kill Isabel and Farlan - I just couldn’t, Insecure Eren Yeager, Insecurity, M/M, Neglected Eren Yeager, Rape, Self Loathing, Sensitive Eren Yeager, Sexual Abuse, Short Chapters, Short Eren Yeager, Shy Eren Yeager, eren cries a lot, more to be added - Freeform, probably, tall Levi Ackerman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:55:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22471429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OwlofLittleFaith/pseuds/OwlofLittleFaith
Summary: Eren Yeager, a traumatized teenager, struggles to let down the walls that hold his emotions back from escaping his control. It doesn’t help him when his mother won’t stop harassing him.Then enter Levi, a short and moody teenager that despite all appearances just wants to help the people he cares about in any way he can.[I’m not particularly skilled at writing summaries.]
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Reiner Braun, Erwin Smith/Original Character(s), Hange Zoë/Petra Ral, Levi/Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman/Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein
Comments: 19
Kudos: 84





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty lads and ladies! Let’s do this!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren receives an email from his mother which ruins his day. His father and Chemistry professor do not help matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of how many chapters!  
> To clear up any confusion without spoiling anything from the chapter - Carla did something very bad to Eren prior to the timeline of this story. That is all I will say at this point.

**Dear Eren,**

**I hope you are well, forgive me for not getting ahold of you sooner.**

**I know you probably do not wish to speak to me after what I did, but I’d appreciate it if you’d meet me at our favourite coffee shop near the old bowling alley at lunch. Please don’t tell your father about this.  
**

**I can’t wait to see you again, son.**

**Love, Mom**

Eren stared at his phone, glaring down at the email he had received just minutes ago from his mother. Why he even bothered to read it was beyond him - perhaps it was the childlike longing for a parent that actually paid him any attention?

Eren furiously tossed that thought aside, face turning green at the mere idea of it. Her attention was not the attention anyone needed from a mother. It was not the attention he wanted at all. In fact, he wouldn’t even think about it at all.

Thinking back to what his mother had asked of him in the email, Eren briefly considered humouring her. It would be risky, and most likely dangerous - but he truly missed having a mother figure in his life, and the woman had made his childhood so full of life and happiness.

His therapist had told him that all of those memories were false ones, made up fables his imagination came up with to cope with the abuse he had suffered. He didn’t believe the old woman, though. That would mean he was fucked up, and he refused to accept that he was fucked up in any way.

He decided that it would be best to talk to his father about it, even if the man had become incredibly distant since the incident. Eren was sure that his father would be able to help him understand his urge to see his mother again, was sure that his father would be willing to help him put a rest to his more unpleasant thoughts.

* * *

Eren trudged down time stairs quietly, knowing that his father liked it when the house was quiet in the mornings. The man had stated that it helped him wake up and prevented early morning migraines from occurring or getting worse. Eren suspected that those migraines were more so alcohol related, but opted to keep his mouth shut about the matter at the time.

He found his father sipping from a cup of coffee at the dining room table, slowly picking away at a plate of burnt eggs and toast. His father never had been much of a cook.

”Hey, Dad?” Eren spoke up, voice quiet yet audible enough for his father. “Can I talk to you?” His father observed his hunched posture for a moment before nodding slowly, patting the chair next to him without a word. Eren nearly smiled as he sat down - his father hadn’t come up with an excuse to leave for work early to avoid talking to him today.

”Mom emailed me,” Eren continued, biting his lip nervously. “she wants me to meet her somewhere. Should I go?” His father’s frown deepened considerably at the mention of his ex-wife. Eren tapped his foot nervously, hoping his father wouldn’t get angry at him for actually considering it.

At first the man did not reply; simply stared down at Eren through guarded, emotionless eyes. All was silent in the dining room, neither of the two speaking at that moment. Both knew the cons of meeting with the woman in question, but were there any pros to be considered?

”I don’t think that’s wise, Eren. We both know what she might do,” His father took another sip from his coffee, “I don’t want her to hurt you, son.“ Eren nodded in response, considering his father’s words - even if his tone seemed a bit disconnected. 

Now with a second opinion, Eren decided that it was best to ignore his mother. It was a miracle that she wasn’t in prison - or perhaps it was a curse. That wasn’t the first email he had received from the woman, and he knew for certain that it wouldn’t be the last.

”Thanks Dad,” Eren smiled slightly before frowning, “I’ve got to get to school now - see you later!” With a nod of approval from is father, Eren was out the door and booking it towards the bus stop at full speed. The bus would be there any minute now and he lived too far away to walk.

Briefly, he took pause to make sure he had gotten dressed today - as there had been a time where he hadn’t and had went to school in his sleep pants. Today, luckily, he had gotten dressed. Of course, he felt like he was missing something, but hopefully whatever it was wasn’t important.

* * *

Eren hurried into the main doors of his school just as the late bell rang to signal the start of class. His bus had gotten stuck in early morning traffic, making him late. His chemistry teacher was going to strangle him for being tardy, he just knew it.

Professor Shadis was not one for tardiness, and held his students to the same expectations. He also accepted no excuses. Eren hoped he could get out of it without being assigned detention. 

Booking it towards his locker, Eren nearly ran into another student. Most would stop to apologize, but the fear of his professor’s wrath outweighed his fear of a student’s wrath tenfold. Besides, the student would understand his rush, right? He was obviously late, so he convinced himself that an apology was in no way needed.

A few minutes later found Eren stumbling into the Chemistry lab, chest heaving and desperate for air. He had ran up six flights of stairs just to get to his class, and now he was a total of ten minutes late. He was so dead, if he was interpreting his professor’s harsh glare correctly, that is.

”Yeager, you’re late.” The man spoke bluntly, voice loud and commanding. “You just missed my explanation of the knew late rule,” Eren swore he saw an evil gleam in the bald man’s eyes - one that promised humiliation and suffering. “Since you are late, you will stand up here and recite two pages of your textbook - of my choosing, of course.” 

Eren froze at the man’s words. The punishment was reasonable, but all of his professor’s were aware of why he can’t speak in front of the class. Professor Shadis _knew_ what would happen, had seen it even. He could not stop the tears from welling up in his eyes.

”What’s wrong, Yeager? Got stage fright? Get up here and read!” Shadis commanded impatiently, forcing Eren to drag himself over to the podium in the front of the room. This was going to be humiliating and would only lead his tormentors to make fun of him even more. 

It was all he could do to stop the tears from escaping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s not very long, I know.
> 
> The thing is, is that shorter chapters mean more frequent updates. It also means more chapters to read.
> 
> If you have anything you might want to happen in the future between any of the listed pairings, let me know! I’m open to ideas!


	2. A Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren attempts to read the assigned pages and loses his shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter listening to 2000's bops - which made it difficult not to let the tone of the songs affect the chapter. Maybe I shouldn't listen to bops when writing this story...
> 
> Please note that some chapters will be direct continuations of the chapter before them and some will not.
> 
> Next chapter will be the last chapter exploring this particular day.

Hesitantly, Eren looked down at the pages assigned to him. They were long and filled to the brim with text. The paragraphs were long and hurt his eyes when he tried to read them in his head. How was he going to get through this?

”Read every piece of text on the page, Yeager. Especially the annotations.” Shadis grumbled as he glared down expectantly at him. Eren gulped audibly, hands trembling slightly as he gripped the edges of the podium for dear life. _Two pages..._ he told himself, _two pages and then I won’t have to read any more and I can go to my seat._

Hesitantly, Eren began reciting the long and sometimes complicated words that made up the two pages. His voice was quiet, barely audible. He highly doubted this would be informative for anyone, as they most likely couldn’t even hear him.

”Louder! Start over,” His professor barked. Eren started from the top of the first page again, louder yet still barely audible. Shadis did not seem to appreciate this, though, as he shouted at him to start again and to talk louder.

Eren teared up again, this time in frustration. He was trying! He really was! It wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t bring himself to speak any louder. He glared down at the book as if it were the cause of all of his problems. He was tempted to glare at his professor too but the man was far too intimidating for him to dare to do so.

He started over for the second time, voice only slightly louder than the last time. He would not speak any louder than this, he told himself stubbornly. The more words he reads, the tighter his chest felt and the harder it felt to breathe. His bottom lip quivers slightly as he pauses to inhale a deep breath.

Professor Shadis slams his hand down on the podium and yells at him for something. Eren doesn’t know what he is saying though, all he could hear was the ringing in his ears and his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn’t even focus on the words anymore; he didn’t even know if he was still reading them or not.

Suddenly, there was a hand - or at least the feeling of a hand - on his shoulder. Eren flinches away from it violently, memories threatening to float to the surface of his mind. He wouldn’t allow them to, of course. 

His first instinct was to run from them, so run he did. He did not care to retrieve his books or notes, did not care to listen to his professor’s startled shouting, could not think about anything but getting to somewhere safe.

 _Safe_. Was there even anywhere safe in this town anymore? Were there any places left that didn’t hold memories of _her_ and all that he had once seen her as? No, there wasn’t. She was everywhere, she haunted every nook and cranny of his life, of his home, of this town. She was a scar that refused to fade.

In the end, his body took him to the one place in this town that he could be safe from his mother. The school library. Parents weren’t allowed into the school library during school hours unless there was some sort of event or emergency - meaning his mother could not get to him in there.

It was an odd rule that was put into place due to a chaotic incident with a horse-faced freshman’s parents. Eren had been in his sophomore year then and now he was a junior. The rule had saved him from a lot of trouble since his mother just loved to visit the school in her free time.

The smell of old, worn out books hit his nostrils as he burst into the large room. The scent soothed his racing heart and reduced the ringing in his ears. The library is quiet since most students were in their classes, but was not completely empty. Eren was about to escape to his favourite corner when he spotted a mop of blonde hair and intelligent blue eyes. _Armin_. 

If anyone could help calm him down and understand him it was Armin; his sweet, trusted friend Armin. Oh how he could kiss the coconut head for being here at this very moment. He practically rammed into said blond as he ran towards his table.

"Eren!" Armin laughed as Eren pulled him into a tight friendly hug. "Shouldn't you be in class?" The blond asked after the other released him. Immediately, Eren frowned. It was a question he had expected from the moment he had spotted his friend, but he still did not want to talk about it. Armin changed the topic immediately, thanks to the pitiful expression on Eren's face. Well, Eren thought it was a pitiful expression - but in reality he supposed it was most likely making him look constipated.

"Shouldn't _you_ be in class too?" Eren asks before Armin can get too far into a new topic. Armin rolls his eyes playfully, although he notices how his friend tenses slightly. 

"Hm? Oh, I- er... skipped! Yeah, I skipped! I promised Reiner that I'd meet him here this period, he should be here any minute now actually..." Just as Armin said this, his boyfriend, Reiner, walked through the big glass doors of the library and immediately made his way over to Armin. "H-Hey!" Armin greeted the tall senior warmly, if not a bit nervously. Eren didn't think too much on it, of course.

Reiner hands a cup of coffee to Armin, a confident grin on his handsome face. Eren simply could not deny the fact that Armin had gotten himself one hell of a hot boyfriend - a kind one at that. If only he could score such a handsome piece of meat. Unfortunately, it was unlikely that anyone would want his used ass. 

The three teens went on to talk and joke around with each other as the period dragged on. In the end, Eren managed to completely forget about his earlier panic. Briefly, in between jokes, Eren realizes that he can't quite remember where his phone was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Armin... sweet, sweet Armin. Oh how I have plans for you...
> 
> Did you like the chapter? Have any suggestions? Let me know!
> 
> And as I just said, Armin is in for one hell of a ride if all goes to plan - but that's all I'll say for now.
> 
> What exactly do you think Eren's mother did to Eren? I've made it pretty obvious via tags, but I'd like to know how you're interpreting it through the story. Don't worry, I know it's a bit early to speculate on such things, it's too much of a big part of this fic to make any less mention of it though.
> 
> Also, do you guys prefer a faster or slower pace? Personally I find it easier to write stories that have a faster pace as it keeps me on my toes when it comes to actually writing it - helps me keep my ideas flowing.


	3. The Bad Day Continues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A senior from the art club returns Eren's phone to him and Eren lands himself a date that doesn’t end up happening. He also nearly runs into his mother. Nearly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go with another chapter!

"Oi, brat!" A voice calls out to Eren from behind him. He's in the midst of walking down the hallway to his fourth period class just after lunch. Eren turns around to see a tall, raven haired teen with a hint of an undercut glaring at him with a phone dangling from his delicate and slightly stained fingers. Eren had to stop and admire the teen's attractiveness for a moment before responding.

"Er- yes?" Eren replies, eyeing the outstretched phone, recognizing it as his. "Is that my phone?" He asked just to make sure, it wasn't like his phone case was unique or anything. For all he knew the two could have the same type of phone and case. 

The taller teen nods curtly and tosses it to him. Eren struggles to catch it and luckily he doesn't drop it. "You dropped it when you nearly ran into me earlier." The raven haired teen states plainly, eyes narrowing as he spoke. "Thanks for that, by the way. I really enjoyed almost falling on my ass due to some klutzy junior." He adds sarcastically, but something told Eren that the teen wasn't actually angry about it.

Eren smiled nervously, scratching the back of his neck bashfully. "Sorry 'bout that - I was in a bit of a rush..." He chuckled nervously as his phone lit up to reveal that his mother had just sent him another email.

His attention snapped by to who he assumed was a senior. An idea popped into his head, and Eren had found himself actually considering it. The teen _was_ good looking - maybe he could take him out for coffee or tea sometime to make up for it. "Maybe I could make it up to you?"

The raven raises an eyebrow, eyes glinting mischievously. Eren shifted from foot to foot nervously, jumping when his phone dinged and another email notification popped up onto the screen.

”Make it up to me?” The raven leaned against the lockers in what Eren perceived to be a very appealing way. “And how do you intend to do that?” Eren shivered at his sultry voice. That was not the route he intended to take.

”Maybe I could take you out for coffee— or tea?” Eren asked timidly, voice low yet still audible. He couldn’t believe he had actually said it. He couldn’t believe he had asked someone out, especially someone he didn’t know! 

Levi grinned devilishly, eyes widening slightly. Eren could not ignore how hot he looked when he grinned that way. He really didn’t want him to reject him now. That would be embarrassing.

”Alright, cutie. It wouldn’t hurt,” Eren blushed at being called ‘Cutie’ and swallowed down the urge to deny it. He was not cute, he was just an used pile of trash. He was surprised someone so hot had actually said yes to one of his random whims. “Name’s Levi, by the way. You?”

”Oh— er, Eren. My name is Eren!” Eren says a little too loudly as Levi chuckles. Eren blushes in embarrassment as he contemplates what to say next. Luckily, Levi spoke first.

”Let’s go then,” Levi nods his head towards the nearest exit. Eren’s eyes narrowed in confusion for a moment before realizing what the other meant. Levi, noticing Eren’s confusion, smirked in amusement.

”Wait— right now? I have cl-class!” His father would be very disappointed if he were to miss anymore classes this year. Levi, however, did not acknowledge him as he pulled Eren hastily out of the school and towards the sidewalk. Eren struggled to keep up at first, stumbling a few times before getting a proper footing.

His phone buzzed again, this time a text from his father - he had set a specific ringtone for his texts - but Eren did not get a chance to look at it as Levi seemed determined to get to the nearest cafe as quickly as possible.

They walked down a few streets, dodging cars as they crossed the road a few times, and trying not to bump into anyone at the same time. Eren wasn’t one for too much touch. He could handle one person touching him, but not more than that at a time. 

Just as Eren thought this, a person accidentally brushed against his arm and he flinched ever so slightly. Apparently it was enough to alert Levi, as the raven had turned back to look at him briefly. Eren hopes the older teen wouldn’t bring it up and simple ignore it.

For a moment, Eren recalled the email he had received that morning. His eyes widened as the cafe they were going to came into view. Their school had an early lunch, so for his mother... right now would be the lunchtime she had mentioned. _Well shit_. 

Eren felt panic rise in his chest. It became worse and worse as they got closer to what once was his favourite cafe. Levi must have felt him tense, and this time instead of ignoring it, he stopped and raised an eyebrow at Eren.

He did not speak, however. Levi simply waited, for what, Eren wasn’t sure. Maybe for him to talk? To calm down? But it didn’t matter, because Eren didn’t do either one of those things. Instead, he tugged the wrist Levi had at one point grabbed and tugged it out of the other’s grasp - no longer liking how it felt to be touched by anyone as he thought about his mother.

He scratched his arms anxiously as he sees his mother sitting in a booth through the window. _No, no, no, no._ What would his mother try to do to him if she saw him? She managed to get a minute alone with him? He couldn’t risk it. He couldn’t go in there.

”Eren? You alright?” Levi’s voice carried through his repetitive thoughts, and he shook his head in response. His throat seemed to lock up, making it so that he could not speak. “Eren, what’s wrong?” Desperate to get his point across but unable to speak, Eren pointed towards the cafe and shook his head.

”The cafe? You don’t want to go in? Is that it?” Eren felt bad for making Levi worry about him, especially since they quite literally just met. Did Levi even actually care that Eren was freaking out right now? Or was he simply concerned about all the attention they were attracting?

Still, Eren nodded frantically as a pressure pressed into his chest, making it feel like he couldn’t breathe. Levi acted quick once he noticed Eren’s heaving chest and pulled him into a quiet alleyway behind a few dumpsters to give him a bit of privacy from public eye.

”It’s alright, Eren. We can do this another time, yeah? We’ll go somewhere else then, I promise.” Eren wasn’t sure if he could trust a promise made by someone he really didn’t know at all, but nodded distractingly anyway. He needed to focus on calming down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think?


	4. Mikasa, Please Don't Commit Murder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa threatens to hunt down Eren’s mother and obliterate her, Eren barely manages to stop her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s Mikasa lads and ladies!

Eren sat on his bed, finally - after a week of building up courage and with the help of Mikasa - he was ready to read the emails he had received from his mother that day with Levi. He wasn’t sure what to expect, or what they would contain. 

**Eren,**

**I know it’s lunchtime for you right now, so why aren’t you here?  
**

**I will wait for a few minutes, but if you do not show I will be very disappointed. In fact, if you don’t show in another ten minutes, I’ll just stick around so if you do come by for some tea you won’t be able to avoid me.**

**Do come by soon, my patience are wearing thin.**

**Love, Mom**

Eren was glad Levi didn’t make them go into the cafe that day, as he would have been screwed if he did. Mikasa sat beside him, reading along silently. She knew what his mother did, so he didn’t have any problems with her knowing about these emails. She gave him a reassuring pat on the head, a signal to move on to the next email.

**Son,**

**I am very, very disappointed with you.**

**Ignoring your own mother? How disgraceful of you! I raised you better than to blow someone off, so why do you betray my teachings so easily? The next time I see you I will be sure to punish you accordingly.**

**But you’ve always liked Mommy’s punishments, haven’t you?**

**Love, Mom**

Eren glanced over to Mikasa, immediately noticing her ferocious glare and the angry flaring of her nostrils. Clearly she wasn’t pleased with the contents of the email. Eren decided to move on before she blew a gasket.

**Eren,**

**I saw you through the window, you know.**

**Who was that boy with you? Your date? Did you forget that I was there? Did you think I wouldn’t like to meet this man? Ungrateful slut, of course I would have liked to meet him.**

**Do you know what I would have told him, son? I would have told him all good things about you. Especially how you are such a lovely fuck. Of course, I’d bet the boy already knows this, since you’re such a slut for anything that breathes.**

**Don’t get too attached to this boy, Eren. You and I both know that soon enough you will be mine again, and that when you are all your desires will be satiated by me.**

**Love, Mom**

Eren shivered in disgust as he read the last email. Tears pricked his eyelids as he registered his mother’s vile words. Mikasa fumed beside him as she pulled him into a protective hug, promising nothing but death for the woman who continued to harass him. The woman never stopped insulting him and acting like he was her perfect little toy to use and abuse.

His father, who had originally promised to protect him from her, didn't even show an ounce of caring. More and more distant he had become ever since the day he had come home early and witnessed his mother doing such nasty things to what he used to call his 'sweet baby boy'. Eren cried as he thought of this, allowing Mikasa to pull him into a firm, protective hug, as if a hug could stop the aching in his chest.

The aching, the pain, the misery. None of it would ever stop. He had known this from a young and vulnerable age. Nothing would ever stop. His life, as it was, would never get better or change. He wouldn't let it change. He had grown so used to this life of torment and abuse, to change it would be disastrous for him. He would miss the misery in a sense.

Who he wouldn't, and didn't miss, of course, was his mother. She had never been kind to him behind closed doors. The perfect mother in public but a vile and cruel creature behind the curtain. That's all she was, and now that people knew, he felt nothing but shame for what she had done. 

"Just ignore the bitch, Eren. I'll take care of everything..." Eren held on tightly to Mikasa's arm tightly, knowing what she was most likely planning to do. "Let go Eren, I'm going to hunt that monster down and make sure she'll never be able to hurt you again!" The teen gritted out, eyes gleaming with stubborn determination.

"That's still considered murder, 'Kasa! They'll take you away, and if they take you away who will protect me from the bullies?" That seemed to put a dent in Mikasa's plans as she knew what Eren was saying was mostly likely accurate. She couldn't leave Eren alone, not with those gravel-eating dirt bags still milling about at school. Eren was confident that this would be enough to convince her not to commit murder, and apparently it was.

"Fine." She grumbled in defeat as Eren relaxed his hold on her arm. "You still shouldn't have to put up with this harassment, though. She should be in prison or something, shouldn't she?" Mikasa let go of him completely as she flopped down onto her back. "Why is the law so fucked up?"

Eren shrugged, not quite sure himself. Of course, what he, himself was wondering was why _he_ was so fucked up. What had he done to deserve what his mother had put him through? Why was his father being so distant? Was his father disgusted with him? _Was_ he disgusting? He certainly felt disgusting. He wouldn't tell that to Mikasa, of course. She already worried about him enough already and he didn't want to burden her with any more concern for him.

In fact, Eren had no one he could express any of this to. Armin had enough pressure on his shoulders with all the bullying he would receive when Reiner and Mikasa were away. Jean, well, he was never very close with him and he still only knew the bare minimum. The same went for pretty much everyone else he knew. It truly did not pay to have so few close friends.

If only he had someone, just one person he could unload all of his shitty thoughts and worries onto, maybe then he could finally look adult woman in the eye without feeling fear. Maybe then he could move on and be at peace with what happened. But as it stood, he had no such person - and perhaps he never would. Perhaps he was simply meant to live in fear and misery until death finally came to swallow him up into its dark abyss.

No matter, Eren thought as the remainder of his tears dried. It didn't matter. If this was going to be his reality for the rest of his life, then so be it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a bit longer to write this chapter because I began writing this story in the middle of exam week - a week in which I was off for the most part. School has since then started up again and I only have so much time to spare. Not to mention that I use my family's computer for most of the writing for this story so it is not always available to me.
> 
> Anyway, did you enjoy the chapter? Let me know!


	5. The Cruelty of Those Meant to Teach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren encounters Levi again and Levi convinces him to model for him after class. An unpleasant teacher sets Eren into a panic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the next chapter! Also, I hate to self advertise, but if you are a part of the Harry Potter fandom or Hetalia fandom, I have posted the first chapter of a new crossover story. It's called: "Out There".
> 
> You don't have to check it out if you don't want to, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.
> 
> By the way, Nile Dok appears in this chapter, but isn't exactly a good person. I hope there aren’t any die-hard Nile fans reading this.

Eren hurried into the library with his books clutched tightly to his chest. He had a test next period that he had forgotten about and desperately needed to cram some information into his mind. He cursed himself for waiting until last minute, but his focus on school had been dwindling lately. 

It didn't help that he couldn't get any studying done in gym, as Professor Shadis, who also taught that class, made sure everyone did their laps. There was never an opportunity within that hour to look at his books. So here he was, at lunch with nothing but books and notes to review. He didn't even waste time buying his lunch. 

As he approached unused table in the back of the large room, Armin had attempted to approach him looking frightened, but Eren had no choice but to ignore him, and waved him away distractedly. Armin had looked hurt, but understood his friend's rush to study everything he possibly could.

Whatever Armin looked so worried about would have to wait and probably had something to do with his bullies. He spared a few moments to text Reiner about it to ensure whatever the issue was would be taken care of. Eren only nodded as the muscular teen entered the library in search of Armin.

And so Eren went back to opening his books and began the agonising process of reading his notes over and over again until he retained at least _some_ information. His grades really could not afford another failed test right now. He was nearly failing as it was, after all.

"Oi, brat!" A voice breaks Eren's concentration and makes him curse as he loses his place. Only when he looks up does he realise who it was that had interrupted him. It was Levi, hands covered in what looked like charcoal. Eren's anger immediately wavered at the sight of the handsome teen.

"Levi? Hey!" He greeted with a small smile, forgetting about the frantic studying he had been doing for the moment. Levi eyed him carefully, making Eren squirm under the teen’s intense gaze. The raven haired teen smirked in satisfaction and motioned for Eren to follow him. Said teen looked back at his books and notes nervously, knowing that he needed to study. He could not fail that test, he was well aware of that. He also didn't want to disappoint Levi, as he hadn't expected the teen to even look at him after what happened during the date that almost was but never did end up happening.

"W-wait! I have to study - I can't!" Alas, he was ignored as he was dragged out of the library, leaving his books behind. Eren began mourning his grades, because he was sure to fail that test now that he was being forced to waste his precious studying time for some random whim of Levi's. Did Levi even have random whims? Eren didn't know much about the teen, now that he thought past the older's hotness.

Before Eren knew it, the two had made it to the art room. Levi stopped in front of the door, turning to face Eren's panting form. Eren noticed the sketchbook in his other hand. "After your last class, come to this room. I'll explain when the time comes," Levi spoke bluntly, voice void of emotion. Eren noticed the difference from when he had first met the raven. He recalled how different his tone had been. Their first meeting, Levi's voice had been light, amused yet still a bit sharp. Now his tone seemed nearly detached. Interesting.

Eren wasn't sure how to respond, so he nodded his agreement. He wanted to ask why Levi hadn't just asked him of this in the library, but thought better of it seeing Levi's seemingly distracted look. Maybe today wasn't a good day for the other, or maybe something had happened and he wasn't thinking logically. Either way, Eren decided to let it go and, with a short wave goodbye, made his way back to the library.

He had another fifteen minutes left of lunch and he was going to use every second of it to study. Unfortunately, it seemed that luck was not on his side that day. 

Just as he rounded the corner, his ankles connected with someone's foot and he went tumbling to the ground. An amused laugh told him that this was no accident. It was his most hated professor within the entire school. This was for two reasons: one) the man and him simply did not get along and two) the man was an abusive fuck to any student he didn't like. His name was Nile Dok.

"Watch where you're going, Yeager. You might run into mummy dearest if you don't pay too much attention," The man mocked cruelly, making anger bubble inside Eren's chest. The staff had been informed of the incident to better understand any of his random bursts of anger or poorly timed crying jags. Professor Dok, however, used this knowledge to mock him to the point of tears. 

No one would believe him when he had reported his professor's behaviour which made him feel helpless to stop the man. It was a true shame that the cameras in the school were so old that they no longer actually recorded anything but static. Eren desperately wished that one day he would believed and the man would be fired, but until that day he would have to suffer through it alone. As if he weren't suffering enough already.

At least Mikasa and Armin believed him. "Leave me alone, asshole..." Eren grumbled as he got back up onto his feet. He tried to walk away, tried to escape that cruel gleam in his professor's eyes, but it was for not as the man latched onto his wrist with an unyielding grip. "I have to go study for _your_ test. So fuck off!" Eren wrenched his wrist away and darted down the hallway and into the library just as the bell rang.

_Fuck it._ Eren thought to himself as he collected his books and left the large room and practically ran down the stares to one of the many exits of the school. He was not attending that asshole's class today and he was not going to write his test. The man would probably fail him anyway just to see him suffer, he convinced himself to stop the regret already seeping into his bones.

"You'll regret that, Eren." A voice he recognized as Professor Dok's nearly purred. Eren tensed as a hand caressed his shoulder while another touched his hip. "Your mother isn't the only one to know how to put such an otherwise failure of a boy to good use—" On pure instinct alone, Eren swivelled around and drove his fist into the older man's jaw. His body trembled as panic rose inside his chest and began to slowly suffocate him. His breath came out short as he ran out the door without looking back. He found the guidance counselor standing out on the sidewalk watching students enter the school.

The tall, blond man that he had been called down to speak to many times after the incident had occurred stood calmly. Eren envied that calmness as he trembled and struggled to breathe as the feeling of that hand on his hip still burned into him like a flame. Guidance counselor Erwin Smith only turned around when he had so obviously heard Eren's laboured breathing.

"Mr. Yeager? Are you— Eren!" Mr. Smith caught him as his knees gave out on him. Eren had not the strength to resist as the trustworthy man eased them both down onto a bench to better calm him down. Eren was grateful that he no longer had to stand. "What happened Eren? Talk to me, come on, calm down Eren." Eren made sure there was no one around to hear before he hugged his knees to his chest and looked to the man who had become a friend of sorts to him over the past few months.

”I’m sorry Mr. Sm—“

”Call me Erwin, Eren, you don’t have to be formal with me,” Eren nodded, appreciating the casualness the man was presenting. It helped calm him more than pity and formality ever did or would.

”I’m sorry for bothering you,” Eren’s voice cracked pitifully, but Erwin did express the pity anyone else would, only placed a calming hand on his shoulder. Eren flinched at the touch and Erwin removed his hand as quickly as he placed it there. Eren appreciated it greatly.

”You’re not bothering me, I can assure you of that. My office?” Erwin asked this only because Eren had managed to compose himself enough to breathe normally. Eren nodded in agreement, not wanting to talk about what had upset him where someone could hear. Where _she_ could get to him.

The two of them made their way back into the school, neither talking. Eren would glance around the empty hallways, scared that the professor he now feared was lurking around searching for him.

Speaking of the devil, Eren, upon entering the main office which Erwin’s office was located within, he was met with the piercing stare of his biology teacher. Professor Dok himself. _Shit_.

The panic that had settled to a controllable level skyrocketed again. He should have stayed outside, should have just gone home. He didn’t care if his father would be disappointed, or if he would have ended up ignoring Levi’s invitation to meet him at the art room. He should have just left.

”There you are, Mr. Yeager. I do not appreciate it when students skip testing days,” Eren did not reply, only stood stock still next to Erwin. Erwin seemed to notice his sudden nervousness and responded for him.

”He will be excused soon enough, Nile. He has an appointment with me,” Eren did not have an appointment, but he was glad that Erwin had lied for him. Surely the man would question him later, but Eren appreciated the act just the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit that this chapter had been sitting half finished for days before I posted this. I've been in a bit of a writing slump as of late and have had very little motivation to write. I am getting out of this slump, of course, but bear with me because this is the most common reason for long waits between chapters.
> 
> This is why I'm going with the shorter chapters. It is easier to write that way, especially in a slump.
> 
> Anyway, I'm hoping next chapter won't take so long to write.
> 
> Did you enjoy the chapter? It is longer than the others, I admit. I stuffed more into it to make up for the wait, although I didn’t want to get stuck so I saved some events that were supposed to occur in this chapter for next chapter to save myself a headache.


	6. It Only Gets Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Erwin have a talk. Mikasa has some bad news to share.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was all supposed to be included in the last chapter, but I decided to just move it into this one. Sorry for the wait!
> 
> By the way, I've created a Twitter account where you can get updates and whatnot on my stories! (@OwlofStupidity)

Eren was tense as he eased himself down into one of Erwin's comfortable leather chairs. He had been in the office many times since the start of the year - sometimes willingly and sometimes unwillingly. This time it was willingly, as it got him away from the man who had caused him such a prominent level of distress. 

The room was a comfortable one. It was small, yet big enough for a desk, a couple of chairs and a couch. The walls were painted a nice shade of blue which reminded him of the ocean. Everything in the office was out in the open, something Erwin had come to make sure of since his first visit. Eren did not do well with having things hidden from him, secrets made him rather anxious - made him shutdown if they were noticeable enough.

Erwin sat down on the chair opposite of him instead of behind his desk. Eren also greatly disliked visible differences in authority. Differences like those reminded him of the many compromising positions his mother had forced him into throughout the years, along with intimidating him. He appreciated Erwin's efforts to make him comfortable very much.

"Tell me what he did to you, Eren." Erwin was blunt now, sure that Eren could handle a more direct approach now that they were somewhere private. "Professor Dok, I mean. Did he say anything to you? Touch you?" Eren nodded, feeling like if he confirmed it out loud he wouldn't be able to pretend that it didn't happen later on. Erwin hummed as he wrote something down on a pad of paper. Eren didn't care to question what he wrote, trusting the man to use the information provided for the sake of his well-being.

"Do you think you can describe to me what he did? What he said?" Eren nearly went green but agreed nonetheless. Maybe Erwin could get the man off his back, even get him fired for mistreatment and harassment of a student. That would be a dream come true for him at the moment. Eren then went on the explain what had happened.

"He put his hands on my- my shoulder and hi- hip," Eren sniffled, gratefully accepting a tissue from Erwin. "He- He said that I would regret trying to skip his class and that- that my mother wasn't the only one who knew- knew how to put me to good us- use..." He sobbed at the end, tears escaping him as he cried into the tissue. Erwin hummed again, slightly deeper this time.

Eren tensed when the man reached over and gently pulled his hands away from his face. The man's expression was serious, grave. Eren leaned as far away from him as he could, fearing that the man thought him to be lying. Everyone else would have, he knew that for a fact. Professor Dok's mistreatment of him was the one thing he hadn't told Erwin about before.

"This is a very serious accusation, Eren. Are you sure that's what happened?" Eren whimpered helplessly, scared that the one person he thought would believe him would turn him away in mistrust. Erwin seemed the regret his question, seeing Eren's reaction and all. "How long has he been harassing you, Eren?" Eren looked down at his lap, mumbling quietly.

"How long have I attended this school?" He glanced up to see Erwin standing up and moving towards the phone. "Tried to report him," Eren added quietly, "no one would believe me..." He felt tired. Tired of thinking, tired of feeling, he didn't already know. All he knew was that closing his eyes and allowing sleep to block out the rest of the world was very tempting right now.

"You're excused from your afternoon classes," He distantly heard Erwin inform him. Eren's eyes slipped closed as a sudden urge to sleep overwhelmed him. "Today's been a hard day, I know that Eren, but I need you to stay awake." Eren groaned defiantly. He hadn't been sleeping very well since he had seen his mother in the window of what was once his favourite coffee place. A finger gently tapped him on the cheek. "Eren, look at me."

Eren opened his eyes to find Erwin crouched down in front of him. The man seemed to observe him for a moment, eyes flickering up and down - inspecting him. Eren closed his eyes again, the stress of the day weighing down his eyelids. He wished he could just go home and sleep away the panic he still felt deep within his chest. Drowsiness was a common side effect of his panic attacks, he pieced together vaguely. Erwin knew this by now, so why wasn't he letting him sleep like he usually did? Ah, Eren realised, he wanted him to answer questions.

"Have you been sleeping very well?" Eren didn't respond. "So that's a no, then." And so Erwin continued to ask him question after question about Dok's harassment and his usual habits. Eren answered dutifully, hoping that it would be worth it. This had been the first time Dok had ever touched him in anything but a violent manner, so there weren't any extreme memories to be uncovered.

An hour later, Eren was excused from the office and allowed to go or do where and what he pleased. Eren recalled that he had agreed to meet Levi in another half hour, so he decided to fight his instinct to curl up and die. He wasn't sure what would happen to Professor Dok now that Erwin knew what had been occurring. He hoped the man would be fired or something, he didn't really care as long as justice would be served.

\---

Twenty minutes later, Eren was on his way to the art room when he ran into Mikasa. He smiled at her as he waved in greeting. "'Kasa? What's up? You look worried!" Eren's smile faltered as Mikasa's shoulders slumped. She was gripping her phone tightly, eyes glaring down coldly at the call history being displayed. Eren cocked his head to the side curiously. "Mikasa?"

"Bad news, Eren." She said, releasing a great sigh as she sat down against the concrete wall of the hallway. Eren imitated her and sat down as well. "I'm going away for a while, I don't know how long. We won't be able to talk, either." Eren's eyes widened. The two had, in all their years knowing each other, never been far apart - always in calling distance, always able to communicate in some way. Now, suddenly, that would change. Eren didn't know how to feel, so he felt nothing.

"Oh," Eren looked down at his fingernails in disappointment. "You- you're coming back, _right?_ " Mikasa nodded to his relief. "It won't be the same without our nightly conversations..."

"I'm sorry, Eren. Mamma just sprung this out of nowhere on Papa and I. If I could stay back I would," Eren nodded in understanding, accepting that it would just be him and Armin for a while. It wouldn't be so bad, Armin had Reiner to protect him from the bullies, after all. As for himself, well, he would manage as long as he at least had Armin to talk to.

After a small, off topic discussion about Mikasa's love life - or lack thereof, Eren had headed off once more, a bit late, to go meet Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think about Mikasa's news?
> 
> Please follow my Twitter so I can inform you of updates or delays. I'd rather not have anyone think I've fallen off the face of the earth because I haven't updated any stories in a while.


	7. You'd Make a Fine Portrait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren ends up modelling for Levi. Levi has an invitation for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is setting us up for the following few chapters, one particular chapter out of those will be a rather... unfortunate chapter - warnings will be given when required.
> 
> Also, I changed my username.

As Eren hurried into the art room, careful not to be later than necessary. Levi was already there, apparently he had been patiently waiting for him. If he noticed Eren was late, he didn't make any comment on it as he ushered him over and had him sit on a random chair in the centre of the room. Eren placed his bag against one of its legs, cocking his head to the side as he noticed the older teen setting up an easel in front of him.

"I hope you know how to stay still, cutie. This won't be as pretty as you truly are if you move too much," Eren felt his cheeks heat up at the compliment. It wasn't everyday someone called him pretty - but wasn't that a term normally used for girls. He shook the thought away, wanting to enjoy the compliment and milk the warmth it was making him feel.

"Can you at least tell me what you're doing?" Eren squeaked as Levi gently turned him and twisted him around so that he was in a specific position. His blush grew darker the closer the other got to him. Levi eyed him for a moment before responding, gaze intense and unwavering. Eren barely managed to stop himself from shuddering.

"I am going to draw you, if you have no protests, of course." Eren's eyes widened considerably at the senior's words, stunned by the idea that someone wanted to draw _him_ of all people. He wasn't sure how to react, if he were to be honest. No one had ever wanted to use him as their model before, so why was Levi suddenly wanting to? His thoughts took a twist as he began to consider that this could be part of some elaborate plan to humiliate him in the nearby - it had happened before back in middle school, after all. Surely it could happen again. "Will you let me?"

The question was so simple, seemingly transparent, but nothing was ever completely transparent. Eren eyed the senior with a wariness he had rarely allowed himself to feel. Could he really allow himself to be humiliated again? To risk it? Why did Levi choose him to draw, anyway? He was ugly, imperfect. There were so many other students that looked so much better him, so why was he chosen for this?

Despite his thoughts, Eren did not immediately say no to the request - however, he did question it. "I-- why do you want to? Why me?" Levi's eyebrows creased for a moment in confusion before easing back into a neutral position. Eren waited anxiously for an answer, an excuse to refuse the other's request. One wrong word and he would leave, he told himself. A relaxed grin settled upon Levi's face as he stepped closer to the younger.

"Because, Eren, I think you are too cute and sweet to not draw you. I call you 'cutie' for a reason, after all." Eren couldn't bring himself to believe it - it couldn't possibly be telling the truth. It didn’t help Eren’s wary mind that the news of Mikasa going away for a while was still fresh within his mind.

Eren then made a decision. If the drawing made him look nice and not like his actual ugly self he would be let it be, but if it was so accurate that it reflected his natural ugliness than he’d demand that the other teen destroy it and he would never model for anyone again.

”Fine. I’ll do it,” Levi smiled at him, no, it wasn’t a smirk, but an actual smile. Eren thought it made the other look even more handsome than he already was it.

With that, Eren was repositioned and ordered to remain as still as possible. Eren, luckily, had a lot of experience at remaining still for indefinite amounts of time, and did not have to be told off for moving as much as he might have otherwise.

Besides Levi’s quiet humming and occasional curse, the art room was completely silent - peacefully so. It also allowed him to think about Mikasa’s inevitable departure that would occur no later than the end of next week. 

What was worse was that he had no idea about when she would be back. He had become dependent on Mikasa being there for him every day whenever he needed her. Now he wouldn’t even be able to call her.

Eren must have started to physically look worried as he heard Levi walking towards him quietly. Eren shifted his gaze to the older teen, making sure his expression went back to neutral.

”You look worried, what’s wrong?” Levi asked after a moment of silence.

”I’m fine, Levi. Go back to drawing or whatever,” He replied dismissively, waving his hand in a shooing motion. Levi only rolled his eyes as Eren looks away from him.

”I will not. I’m finished, after all. Care to see it?” Eren feared what he would see, feared that he’d look ugly in the drawing, but nodded hesitantly. Levi turned away to grab his sketchbook before turning it around to reveal a beautifully drawn picture of Eren.

Eren studied the piece speechlessly, taking in how nice he looked in it. He was not narcissistic, of course, but he hadn’t expected to look so nice in the form of a drawing. He had expected it to be an exact replica of his ugly self - but this wasn’t exact. Well, obviously it looked like Eren, but clearly Levi hadn’t thought to draw all of the blemishes on his pale skin or to draw his nose to its actual large scale.

”It’s... wonderful!” Eren complimented, blushing furiously. Levi gave him a slight smile before pulling out a chair to sit directly in front of him.

”Tell me what’s bothering you.”

Eren squirmed uncomfortably, trying to find an excuse to leave and never return to this subject. However, he gets a feeling that Levi was determined to get the answer.

”I’ve just had a bad day, is all. That and my best friend and confidant is going away for a while and probably won’t be back for months with no way of communicating with me.” Eren smiled, forcing himself to look relaxed. “It’s fine though, I’ll survive.”

Levi looked unconvinced, his eyes gazing into Eren’s as if trying to decipher what Eren was feeling. “You don’t have many friends, do you?” Eren shook his head as he confirmed the other’s observation. “Here,” The senior offered a piece of paper from his pocket - written upon said slip was an address, date, and time, plus a phone number. 

”There’s a party my friends are throwing that I’m forced to attend, come with me. That’s my number in case you get lost on the way,” Eren was about to protest before Levi cut in. “You won’t regret it, I promise you that, Eren. It’ll help you get your mind off of your friend leaving - and whatever else happened to you today; the rumours say it was pretty bad.”

Eren cursed. Of course someone had seen him lose his shit earlier - and of course Levi had to hear about it. Standing up to leave, Eren glanced back at Levi. “I’ll go.” And with that Eren left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was it? It wasn't very interesting as there are not any big important plot points, it's mostly just filler to set us up for the more heavier plot coming your way.
> 
> This took longer to write, despite me being out of school for the month, due to procrastination and a tendency to lose track of how many days have past. My apologies.


	8. A Trip to the Zoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren visits his favourite place in the world; the zoo, with Armin. Armin attempts and fails to tell him something important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s another chapter! 
> 
> My procrastination has led to yet another lengthy wait, but I will finish this story no matter how long it takes!
> 
> Also, Eren and Armin time! Woohoo!
> 
> No complaining, Levi can’t just randomly appear in every chapter, after all. Besides, you’ll get plenty of Levi and Eren moments in the chapters following this.
> 
> WARNING: Direct mention of rape. No descriptions, but a direct mention of it nonetheless.

A week before the party, early in the afternoon, Eren was having a bad day. If Mikasa leaving on the exact same day wasn’t enough to put him down, his father had decided to take an unexpected trip out of town for a week. _Without Eren._

His father, although distant, had never excluded him in his random trips before. It was their tradition to spend a week out of town together. It was the only semblance of normal he had had with his father since the incident that had changed their family almost completely.

Sometimes he feared that he was the cause of the shadows underneath his father’s eyes. Eren didn’t want his father to blame him, to avoid him like he was doing. It hurt whenever his father would excuse himself from the dinner table after a silent dinner without so much as eye contact.

His heart longed for the good old days where his mother, father, and himself could sit and talk for hours - laughing at old pictures and memories. His mother had always had a wonderful, contagious smile. Eren remembered how loving and kind she had been fondly, only for him to remember what she did to him.

Maybe if he hadn’t of spoken up things would be different and his father would look at him with the amount of pride he did before he had said to much. Maybe his father would still at least appear to care about him.

His phone buzzes as he gets a text - it’s from Armin.

_Armin:_

_**How are you holding up? Mikasa told you she was leaving today, right?** _

Eren smiled at his friend’s concern. Well, even if his father no longer cared about him, at least he still had his friends. And now Levi, if anything came out of whatever was happening with him.

_Eren:_

**_Good enough, kinda bummed tho. Dad’s left town for the week, didn’t even buy groceries b4 he left.  
_ **

Eren sighs as he waits for a reply. Just this once he hoped Armin wasn’t with Reiner - his friend always took way too long to reply when he was with Reiner. Leave it to Armin to get himself an overprotective boyfriend, after all. 

_Armin:_

**_Doesn’t your dad always take you with him on those trips? Why aren’t you going with him?_ **

Eren wished he knew.

_Eren:_

**_Yah, he usually does. He was gone b4 I got home from school, didn’t even call me._ **

Not even a text from the man. All he had was a short note consisting of one sentence. His father hadn’t even bothered to make sure he’d had enough food to eat - and also left no money for him to buy any.

Eren really wished that he had a job, at that moment. Of course, with the mess that was his life so far, he had opted to heal first. It was a stupid decision, he realized. Was his father trying to teach him a lesson? To point out how foolish he was for passing up that opportunity to work at the local flower shop that had offered him a job?

His thoughts were not helping his mood, of that he was certain.

_Armin:_

**_Want to hang out for a bit, then? You know, get your mind off it for a while - maybe go to the zoo? I’ll pay this time._ **

Armin was such a wonderful friend. He always knew how to help a Eren when he was down. The zoo was, of course, one of his favourite places. He was always drawn to observing the animals - it was relaxing for him.  
  
Eren was also happy at having a chance to spend the day with Armin. Ever since the blond had began dating Reiner, they had hung out and talked a lot less. That, however, did not stop them from being the best of friends, of course.

Replying with a quick ‘sure’, Eren began to put his shoes on, already knowing that Armin was probably already on his way over. He did live pretty close, after all. Humming softly to himself, Eren grabs the spare key from the hook and exits the house. 

Armin’s already in the driveway waiting for him, a supportive smile on his face as he greets Eren. He felt some of the pain in his heart ebb away as Armin automatically pulled him into a friendly hug. Eren really did have wonderful friends.

”You alright?” Armin questions, voice soft. “You’ve been crying, haven’t you?” 

Eren looks away in shame yet doesn’t deny the fact that his father’s sudden departure had hurt him more than he would say. Armin, Eren knew, caught onto this. He as smart and observant like that. Always knowing when his friends needed a hug. Eren wished he could be like Armin sometimes.

Quickly, knowing Eren wasn’t one to express his emotions out loud, changed the subject. “I’ve heard you’ve met someone, Levi was his name, right? Mike, my classmate, mentioned it to me. You planning to date him?”

Eren shrugs. “I-I really don’t know. I barely even know him, y’know. He’s nice to me, but I don’t even know where any of it’s going. It's confusing.” He thinks back to his limited encounters with Levi. “He flirts with me a lot, though - so he must at least have _some_ interest in me.”

Eren pulls away from Armin, mind now distracted from his father’s departure. Armin smiled at him as Eren began to hop from foot to foot, absolutely thrilled at the prospect of going to one of his favourite places in the world.

”We better hurry, the bus arrives in ten minutes, and I’d rather not walk all the way to the zoo.” As the two began to walk down the sidewalk side by side, Eren failed to notice Armin’s subtle limp. 

They had barely made it, but get to the bus in time they did. Armin, unfortunately only had enough to pay for the their entry to the zoo, however Eren managed to find some change in his pockets. Eren brushed off how incredibly grateful Armin had looked as he had come up with the right amount of change.

Eren’s mind began to wonder as he stared out of the bus window, half aware of Armin sending him worried glances every so often. He thought about his father, unfortunately. The man’s departure had really flipped a switch inside of him, making him aware of how his father had been acting. 

He had been fine with pretending that his father wasn’t becoming more and more distant - that he didn’t smell the alcohol in his breath when they occasionally did talk. If he pretended everything was fine then it _would_ be fine, right? 

_Just like you used to pretend your mother didn’t rape you every night?_ A cruel part of his mind surfaced. Eren struggled to not react at the thought. Where was this voice in his head coming from? It was his own voice, yes. His own thoughts they definitely were, but why would he be so cruel to himself?

Armin must have noticed how tense Eren had become, as Eren had found his friend’s hand being gently placed upon his shoulder. Eren flinched away as his mind failed to fully process that it was just Armin, and that Armin was safe.

“You’re not alright,” Armin whispers, “have you been to see your therapist lately?” Eren took a moment to respond negatively. His father had insisted that he could no longer afford it, and so Eren was left with no one but Mr. Smith from school to discuss his more personal struggles.   
  
Armin frowned worriedly, eyeing Eren carefully. “D-Dad said he-he couldn’t afford therapy anymore...” Eren’s quiet voice cracked as he gave the excuse that was really the truth as far as he knew. “...and I can’t just rely on our school’s counsellor, I won’t be in school forever...”

Eren looked back out the window, unsure of why he was being so emotional today. His father going away for the week wasn’t the end of the world, so it didn’t make sense as to why it was impacting him so much.

Eren couldn’t wait to get to the zoo - it would help calm him down better than anything else could. He especially loved birds and how beautiful and free they were. They could soar high above their problems, while Eren was weighed down by his own.

Sometimes Eren wished he could fly like the birds he loved to admire. He wished to be free. Free of the trauma, free of all the pain and neglect. He wished he could leave everything behind him and just fly. 

He was pulled from his thoughts as Armin shook his arm, pointing out that they had reached their stop. Eren briefly wondered why his blond friend seemed so hesitant to buy the tickets that would allow them into the zoo, but quickly brushed it off as Armin being picky as to how he spent his money - and boy was Armin picky.

”Let’s go, Eren, I hear they have a new panda cub!” Armin was also obsessed with pandas, and Eren couldn’t blame him at all - pandas were ridiculously adorable. Of course, an important detail about Armin’s love for pandas is that he only really made an effort to include Eren in his panda staring sprees were when he was upset - or distressed, or even worse, _both_.

As the two reached the panda exhibit, Eren stood silently as Armin inhaled a deep breath - as if he were preparing to say something important that he really didn’t want to say. Eren waited until his friend was ready, knowing how hard it could be to gather the courage to say something.

”E-Eren, I... I need to tell you something...” Eren nodded and smiled reassuringly at Armin, encouraging the blond to continue. “...it— it’s about Reiner...”

Eren cocked his head to the side, not exactly sure what his friend was struggling to say. Why was he being so vague? Did something happen to Reiner? Was the guy sick or something?

”He’s hurting–“ Armin gets cut off mid sentence as a small blur that could have been a child rammed into Eren, distracting the him.   
  


Both Eren and Armin then find themselves helping a young child find his parents for the rest of their trip to the zoo, the conversation the child had interrupted pushed aside to the back of their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so, so sorry for what’s to come, Armin. 
> 
> Hope you’re ready for the next chapter, for shits only going to get worse before it gets better.
> 
> This chapter was a longer than I had planned it to be, so I hoped you enjoyed it.


	9. Life of a Teen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren attends the party and meets people who, to him, seem like they're all insane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, another chapter. 
> 
> And poor, poor Armin, He doesn't deserve what is to come.

Eren paced as he waited for the taxi to arrive. Levi had texted him the location and all Eren had to do was get there. He was feeling rather anxious on that typical, cold evening and he knew not why. He had no reason to be anxious, after all. What was their to be anxious about? The fact that he had received another email from his mother? _Oh_ , he realized, that was most definitely the reason.

The email was short and plain, yet the words held so much weight as they settled upon his shoulders.

_**Dear Son,** _

_**I thought you'd like to know that you can't ignore me that easily. I'll see you again soon, of that I can promise you.** _

_**\--Mom.** _

When did his life become so full of threats at every corner? Could he not catch a break? Live the life of a normal teenager and not worry about his pedophile of a mother for once in his life? No, he supposed he couldn't. There would be no way out of the hellhole that was his life - even in death his mother would haunt him. His thoughts were interrupted by the honking of a horn coming from the driveway; the taxi.

Eren pulled himself together as he climbed into the backseat, not trusting the front seat where he would have been sitting next to the female driver. He was not trying to judge, but he simply could not take that risk when he was trying to put everything behind him. He shook all thoughts of his mother out of his head. He was going to enjoy this party even if it meant allowing himself to be carefree and vulnerable.

Tentatively giving the driver the address, Eren waited patiently as the vehicle began to move. His eyes flickered towards the driver every so often, but otherwise he was relaxed and excited to attend this party. Every normal teenager went to parties, and Eren wanted nothing more than to be normal. He pulled out his phone as he felt it vibrate in his pocket and smiled when he saw that it was Levi calling him.

Pressing the answer button, Eren greeted Levi with a simple "Hello?". He heard Levi chuckle from the other end, and could practically see the smirk that was most likely on the older boy's face.

 _"Eager to answer me, were you Cutie? It barely rang twice,"_ Eren blushed, stuttering as he denied it. Levi only laughed in response. _"You are coming, right?"_

Chuckling, Eren smiles. "Yeah, I'm on my way now!" He winced at how excited he sounded - he really had to get out more, it seemed. "Anyone I should be warned about before I get there?" 

_"Ah, yes. Mike likes to sniff people, but he's a nice guy and won't actually do anything creepy to you."_ Eren stored that information in his mind for future reference. _"Hanji... she's bat-shit crazy when sober, you better hope she's either tipsy or wasted when you get here - she won't hurt you, just to be clear, just harass you."_ Eren wasn't sure of what he thought about this Hanji person yet took Levi's word for it - Levi wouldn't lead him into danger, he convinced himself.

Eren grinned as he saw the address in the near distance, he was almost there. He saw a blurry figure out in the yard who Eren thought to be Levi. "I'm almost there, by the way." 

_"Oh, I see you, in the taxi, right?"_ Levi didn't wait for a response. _"Just a warning, Mike's friend's coming as well. I hear he's an older fellow, works at our school. His name's... Erwin, I think."_ What? Eren nearly fainted. Mr. Smith was coming to the party? What would the man think if he saw Eren there? Would he tell Eren's father? Wait, no, that wouldn't matter. His father wouldn't care at this point.

Eren hung up as the taxi came to a stop. He froze as Levi gave the driver money through the open window. Eren exited the car quickly and squeaked when Levi pulled him into a side hug. Levi only chuckled as he led Eren into the house to meet who Eren assumed was the other attendees. Immediately upon entering, there was a tall teen sniffing him. _Must be Mike..._ he mused nervously. A glance into the dining room gave Eren a very much unwanted view of a wild looking, brown haired woman with goggle-like glasses twerking onto of what once must have been a clean table.

Eren then remember, this is what normal teens did at parties - make complete fulls of themselves and get hungover in the morning. Levi pulled him closer, taking him into the living room and sitting him down on a chair. Or, Eren should say, Levi sat down and made Eren use _him_ as a chair. He was probably blushing like crazy, if he were to wager a guess.

"Levi, you made it!" A slightly loud voice called out excitedly. "-and you must be Eren. Nice to meet you! Name's Isabel!" The female seemed rather hyper, in Eren's opinion. Another one of Levi's friends came up to them as well, introducing himself as 'Farlan'. The two seemed nice and funny - and as an hour passed by in a blur, Eren found himself laughing more than he ever had before.

Just as everyone was settling down to play Monopoly, a board game Hanji had suggested with much persistence, Mr. Smith walks into the living room with a smile on his face. He pauses for a split second when he sees Eren, but then proceeds to sit down on the nearest free chair - which happened to be the one who Hanji had abandoned in favour of using the toilet.

Erwin greets everyone politely and pats Mike on the back. Eren decides not to give the man's presence too much thought considering it was not unexpected for a teen to show up to a party with his friends. Well, maybe Erwin was a bit shocked that he had more than a handful of friends? Then again, the only person here he was actually friends with was Levi.

"I call the pussy!" Hanji exclaims as she barrels back into the room, stopping to pout as she sees that Erwin stole her spot. Levi sighs, shaking his head as he places the cat token on the board. Hanji squeals as she sits down on another chair, acting like a child in a teenager's body. "Eren should totally be the bitch! Y'know, cause-" a glare from Levi was enough to shut her up. Eren, however, was not _that_ stupid and could easily finish the sentence in his head. Regardless of Levi's glare, Hanji pulled the dog token out of the box and placed it on the board.

In the end, Erwin chooses the duck token and Mike chooses the hat token. The rest of the attendees had opted to watch instead of play, not wanting to deal with another one of Hanji's own all and give nothing strategies. Erwin snickers as he rolls doubles his first roll, wincing as Hanji screeches about the unfairness of it. By the end of his turn, Erwin is near 'GO' again, a triumphant grin on his face.

Next is Eren's turn. He rolls a twelve and Hanji starts to inspect the dice, claiming that they were 'loaded'. Levi chuckles as Eren lands himself in jail after getting a double three times in a row. As Eren looks up, he swore he caught sight of a figure running in front of the window but chooses to shrug it off - it wasn't important right now. Probably. Levi takes his turn and also rolls a double, by the end of his turn he's managed to make it halfway across the board.

Mike also rolls a double, making Hanji curse and scream up at the gods. When it gets to her own turn, and her expectations are to get a double, she ends up rolling a three. "Bullshit!" she shrieked angrily. She pointed her finger at everyone else at the table, "you're all cheating, I know it!" the others only chuckle in response.

"Hey, dipshits!" Isabel shouted over Hanji's frustrated wailing. "There's someone at the door, they wanna see Eren." Levi raises an eyebrow at Eren but he only shrugs in response and gets up to go see who it was. The first thing he hears as he leaves the living room is Hanji's complaints about it being Eren's turn and having to wait.

In the doorway of the front door stands a woman Eren wished he didn't recognize, wished he wasn't related to. "M-Mom? What are you doing here? You know you're not supposed to be around me," Eren speaks quickly, backing away from the door. His mother only smiles creepily at him, walking quickly over to him only to latch on to his wrist as she dragged him out of the house. She covered Eren's mouth before he could scream for help and he was soon shoved into her car.

"I told you not to ignore me, Eren. Now you get to face the consequences!" she stroked his cheek with her index finger, ghosting the tips of her fingers over his lips. "Don't worry, son... I'll make it an _enjoyable_ punishment for the both of us," Eren began to shout and scream for help as he processed the meaning behind her words. Carla was soon forced to knock him out, and Eren almost felt glad when the darkness took over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait, work has me very busy lately. And yeah, Carla's made an official appearance - however brief it may be this chapter. The next chapter may be triggering, but I can assure you that it will mostly be brief descriptions.
> 
> Oh, yeah... poor, poor Armin. (You'll understand in a few chapters, trust me.)
> 
> Wear your masks and stay safe everyone!


	10. A Mother's "Love"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi, Farlan, and Isabel to the rescue!  
> (WARNING: The contents of the beginning of this chapter is not child friendly and may be triggering to some people. Let this be your last warning.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aight lads, time to whoop ass! -sorta lol

When Eren woke up it was safe to say that he had no idea where he was or why he was there. What had happened? He walked himself through his day slowly. He had lounged about, went to that party and then... _oh..._ he had been kidnapped by his mother. He shuddered as he noticed the rope tying his hands above his head and his lack of clothes. He shivered, not from the cold, but from fear.

Why did the world hate him so much? What had he done to deserve the mess that had become his life? His screams were muffled by the gag in his mouth as he attempted to call out for help. How had his mother found him, anyway? The only person he had told about the party was Mikasa and Armin! He didn't want to think about the possibilty of them betraying him.

"Poor, ickle Eren. Can't even greet his own mother properly..." Carla, his mother, tsked disapprovingly as she stepped into the small room in which he had been tied up in. Her hand caressed his cheek as she stared at Eren longingly. He shivered in disgust as he recognized the lust in her eyes. "I've missed you so much, my dear boy. Why have you been avoiding me?" He hand now rested on his chest, and Eren contemplated throwing up on her just to make her go away for awhile.

Slapping him when he didn't respond, Carla wraps her hands around Eren's neck and begins to choke him. Tears stream down Eren's pale cheeks as he coughs and struggles for air. "You dare not to answer me?" A muffled gasp escapes Eren as she relaxes her grip as he chokes on the gag every time it gets sucked into his mouth with every breath. Carla wiped his tears as her gaze softened. "My poor, poor boy. I know what will make you feel better," her hand travelled down to Eren's crotch and gripped his spft appendage in her hand. 

Eren could only sob and shake his head as his mother groped him. His muffled screams for help were heard by no one. He cried out for his father, Levi, _anyone_ to save him. "You've missed this, haven't you?" Carla chuckled cruelly, "my little slut, look at you begging me for more~" she cooed before grabbing hold of Eren's hair and dragging him onto the bed so that he was lying down face up. "Come now, Eren. It's time to return the favour."

With that, she sat on his face and forced him to pleasure her.

\------

Levi was panicking as Eren was discovered to be missing. One minute there had been a knock at the door and someone asking for Eren, and the next minute Eren was gone. Had he gone home? Why didn't he tell anyone? Levi paced the hallway, feeling worried. Eren wasn't answering his phone at all, and while Hanji was attempting to assure him that Eren had most likely went home without telling anyone, Erwin and him both thought differently. 

"Wait, isn't this Eren's phone?" Mike questioned, holding up a small phone with a green case. Pressing the power button, the screen lit up and several missed call notifications appeared. "It's set to silent, probably why we didn't hear it..." Erwin motioned for Mike to hand over the phone.

"If my theory is correct..." Erwin unlocked the phone, knowing that Eren never bothered to use a password for it. Going into Eren's email history, he managed to find a folder of emails from one Carla Yeager. The most recent email was the most worrying. Levi was reading the emails along with Erwin and horror consumed him as he realized just what might have happened.

**Dear friends of my son,**

**Do not worry about Eren, for he is now in safe hands. Come to 104 Wallists Avenue at exactly 12pm if you want to see him again.**

**-Carla, Eren's mother**

Levi furiously slipped on his coat, deciding to go now instead of later. He would catch the woman by surprise and save Eren. He wasn't oblivious to the rumours of what Eren's mother had done to his date in the past, and knew that history was probably going to repeat itself if they did not act fast. Erwin was phoning the police just as Levi dragged Isabel and Farlan out the door into his car with him. He needed backup, after all.

Isabel yelled in protest before shutting her mouth at the sight of her friend's determined glare. Farlan was wise enough to simply comply without questioning anything. Levi borderline sped down the many streets that lead to their desitination. Farlan was concocting a last minute plan and Isabel was shouting motivational quotes in order to build up their confidence.

A trio of teens really aren't equiped to deal with this kind of situation, they realized. When they arrived, they felt a smidgen of relief when they saw there was no car parked at the small, filthy looking house. Perhaps that meant Carla wasn't there and they could get Eren out without a hitch. Nodding his head towards the back door, Levi lead his two friends into the house.

"Why was the door unlocked?" Isabel whispered anxiously as they crept through what appeared to be a kitchen. Levi shrugged but forced them into a huddle in the far corner of the room. "Levi? I'm not too sure about this - what if this is a trap?" Isabel continued to whisper as chills ran down their spines. Levi shushed her just as the front door was heard opening.

Voice low and barely audible, Levi whispered into each of their ears. "We need to split up. Isabel takes the top floor and attic if there is one. Farlan the ground floor, and I'll look for a basement. If one of you get caught, scream before she can get to you, go!" Nodding determindly, his two friends crept silently out of the kitchen, leaving Levi to search for another set of stairs. He considered the layout of the house and cursed when he realized that the stairs would probably be near the front door - the most exposed area that he could see. 

Quickly and silently, Levi crept out of the kitchen and straight down the hall, pausing suddenly as he heard a crash from upstairs. Panic overtook him for a moment before he managed to calm himself. There hadn't been a scream, not even a frantic text to his phone. It had probably been Carla. Continuing on as his heart pounded in his chest, he had barely any time to think before the sound of someone storming down the stairs made him dive into the nearest room - the bathroom. Swearing quietly to himself, Levi managed to crawl inside an empty storage cupboard just as the bathroom door swung open violently.

Levi watched fearfully through the crack where the cupboard doors met as Carla hunched over the sink, whispering crazily to herself. His breath caught in his throat as the woman began to stare aggressively at the cupboard he was in. He readied himself to scream as he watched her hands slowly grasp the handles of the doors. Perhaps it was with a stroke of luck that Farlan had seen what was about to happen when he 'accidentally' caused an old, moldy mug to fall onto the floor and shatter in order to distract Carla.

Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Levi waited until the woman was far away before stealthily darting out of the bathroom into another doorway - the basement. Luck was on Levi's side as he crept down the creaky stairs. A muffled sob reached his ears as he made it down the last step. In the corner of the room was a bed with Eren laying helplessly on it. Levi believed that the heartbreaking sight of Eren bound, gagged, sobbing and naked would haunt him forever. Eren was crying with his eyes shut tight, not daring to look at who had entered the basement.

"N-no-! No more, Mama!" Eren tried shouted loudly and Levi had to act quick to calm him down. Eren struggled as Levi began to untie his wrists and legs from the bedpost as Eren squirmed and struggled. 

Levi shushed him soothingly, encouraging Eren to open his eyes. "Open your eyes, Cutie. Let me see your pretty eyes," Levi encouraged quietly into Eren's ear. "It's me, Eren. It's Levi..." he added after a moment of more struggling. Levi cupped Eren's bruised cheek in the palm of his hand as Eren opened his eyes slowly, trapped tears now slipping free from their cage. "You're gonna be safe soon, Cutie. We're gonna get you out of here..."

 _"Well well well...._ look what we have here~" Levi froze as Carla's voice rang throughout the room. Eren began to sob again as Carla shoved Levi against the wall violently. Levi grunted in pain as he shoved Eren's attacker back onto the floor. Eren sobbed as Carla only grinned disturbingly up at them both. Her voice sounded desperate after a rather violent coughing fit.

"So this is who you're whoring yourself out to now, Eren?" The woman rasped. Eren flinched violently as she tried to grab onto his ankle from the floor. Carla turned her head to address Levi, eyes wide and crazed. "Does he make a good toy? He was always such a good little whore for m-" she was cut off by the sound of police sirens from above. To sets of feet came running down the stairs - Farlan and Isabel. Eren scurried behind Levi to give himself some sort of privacy as Carla began coughing and hacking up blood.

Finally, the police hurried down and dragged her away. Erwin, who had posed as Eren's closest relative in order to be able to come along, stood at the top of the stairs as Eren was helped up the stairs, wrapped in a thick wool blanket to cover him. The boy was trembling, and rightfully so. Eren had been through hell, and Erwin was relieved to see that he had met someone who made Eren happy and safe.

With that and a bit of questioning from the police, Eren was escorted to the hospital via ambulance with Levi and Erwin in tow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the walls, that first part was difficult to write - the sheer disgust of it all really is disturbing. I tried to make it have the least description of the act as I could, and I've definitely stumbled into much more graphic descriptions in stories before, so hopefully it didn't scar you too much, if at all.
> 
> Do you think I should write a spinoff from Armin's perspective? -because let me tell you...
> 
> …poor, poor Armin. And Eren, Eren's not doing well at all in this chapter either.


	11. A Comforting Embrace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Eren talk. Horrible news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, the calm before another storm... a very short calm, mind you.
> 
> ...
> 
> Poor, poor Armin.

Eren whimpered as he slowly woke up on a very uncomfortable and stiff bed. A hospital bed, he registered. Confusion washed over him before his memory began to kick in, replaying the trauma he had just recently experienced in his head on repeat. A soothing hand on his cheek broke him free of his memories, bringing him into the present. It was Levi.

”Shh.... you’re safe now, Cutie.” Levi placed the rim of a glass of water against his lips and Eren gratefully accepted the gesture. Tears pricked at Eren’s eyelids as he looked away from Levi, feeling ashamed at what Levi had seen back in that basement. _Always making a slut of yourself._ His mother’s rants about his worth surfaced in his memory, making him whimper again.

”H-how....” Eren croaked, “how’d you find me?” 

Levi hummed softly, running his hands through Eren's hair soothingly. "You're mother told us, attempting to set a trap of some kind, no doubt." The room grew silent, save the beeping. Eren gazed down at his trembling hands as he unconciously leaned into Levi. He closed his eyes as tears began to obstruct his vision. "She'll never hurt you again, Eren. Never."

They sat in silence as Eren allowed a sense of peace to wash over him. He was safe now. _Safe_. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders at that word alone - not because of the word alone, but because it was Levi that had assured him. Levi wouldn't lie to him, not knowingly. Everything was going to be fine. He cuddled into Levi's side, opening his eyes to stare at the person who had saved him - one of the people, he reminded himself. He would have to thank Farlan and Isabel, as he did remember vaguely that they had been there too.

Then a phone began to ring - his phone. He watched as Levi reached for it, smiling in thanks as he handed it to him. Eren fet relieved when he discovered it was Mikasa calling. Pressing the answer button, Eren pressed the phone to his ear. 

"Hey, 'kasa." He greeted, his voice still rough.

 _"Eren! I heard about - oh god, are you alright?"_ Mikasa sounded upset for him, but he had expected nothing less.

He was tempted to say he was fine, that everything was okay now. But that would be a lie, because while he did believe that he was safe, his mind was still full of fear and his hands were still trembling the more the subject was brought up. "Not really... but I'll live. Don't worry 'bout me, 'kay? We'll talk about it when you get back," he was too exhausted to vent, too exhausted to explain how he felt over the phone when he couldn't see her reaction at all. He heard Mikasa hum on the other end, along with the sound of something shattering. _Probably a vase_.

 _"How can you tell me not to worry when that bitch hurt you!"_ Mikasa shouted angrily, but Eren could easily tell it was not him that her anger was directed towards. _"What she did was very fucked up, Eren! How can you sound so calm!"_

Eren whimpered, not wanting to talk about this right now. Not when it had practically just happened. Levi rubbed his back soothingly as he began to shake again from the stress of it all. "'kasa, _please_ stop. I - I don't- I can't-" tears welled up in his eyes as Levi hung up the phone and shot his friend a quick text to her for him. Eren felt grateful for that.

Eren curled up into Levi's side and the room fell into a blissful silence. Eren didn't want to Mikasa to worry, or to feel like he was shutting her out like he had done the last time. However, right now he had to focus on his recovery because it would only hurt him more in the long run if continued to bend until he broke for the sake of his friend's peace of mind. Did that make him selfish? Probably.

It was like Levi had read his mind.

"It isn't selfish to heal, Eren. Yes - I saw that look in your eyes. I'm sure she'll understand once she has cooled off - you know her better than me, but she cares about you." Eren nodded half-heartedly, not really having the strength to argue. He closed his eyes as he allowed the sound of Levi's breathing to soothe his aching mind. Then he spotted it, a card on the small table next to the bed. Levi grabbed it for him and handed it over, watching him carefully as Eren opened it up to reveal a note.

**_I can't stay until you wake up, Eren, but I hope you will be back on your feet soon.  
I wish you never had to go through any of this, but what good is a wish if it can't come true?_ **

**_Get better for me, okay Eren? Don't forget to smile, your smile has always been a part of you - never lose it._ **

**_Call me when you've read this, or at least when you feel like you can handle it - you've probably already heard from Mikasa and if not you probably will._ **

_**Levi said he was going to stay with you, so I know you won't be lonely when you wake up.** _

_**\--Your best friend, Armin.** _

Eren managed a smile as he read the note three more times, reaching for his phone because he knew Armin would be anxious to talk to him. He could handle Armin right now, Armin wouldn't push him to talk about anything. Dialling the number - he had memorized it years ago - he put the phone on speaker. _One ring, two rings, three rings..._ and so on until the automated message played. Eren frowned as he called again. Armin never missed one of his calls - it was one of the things that Armin despised doing more than cleaning up other people's messes. Unlike the cleaning, however, Armin rarely missed a phone call - especially if it after one of his friends had a bad expereince.

On the third call someone answered - _but it wasn't Armin._ It was Armin's grandfather.

 _"Haven't ye heard, boy?"_ the elderly man's scratchy voice came out of the speaker, making Eren tilt his head in confusion. _"I always knew that boy was no good for 'im - always making 'im nervous and all jumpy-like!"_

"W-What do you mean? Is Armin okay?" A bad feeling was settling within his stomach.

 _"No boy, he's not! Yer friend is dead, boy. That Reiner boy killed 'im - bashed him over the head with a metal bat."_ Eren froze in shock, the bluntness only making it worse. He paled as he dropped the phone onto his lap. Armin's grandfather released a sob over the phone. _"I should have realised it was happenin', I'm real sorry I couldn't have told ye in a better way. Don't go blamin' yerself, boy. I know how ye are - come down any time, ye hear?"_

Eren mumbled a weak 'yes' into the phone before hanging up. Levi was silently holding him as shock was making it hard to process what he had just been told. Armin was gone.

_Forever._

Eren proceeded to faint, his world turning into darkness as he clutched the card close to his chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you... poor, poor Armin. I laid out a few hints, so don't 'round saying this came out of nowhere.
> 
> A short chapter - and so will the next one be. 
> 
> Why did this chapter take so long? - procrastination is a bitch.
> 
> In fact, next chapter will be the last chapter.
> 
> Yes, yes, we're finally reaching the end. This chapter is will be the last of the bad news, I promise.
> 
> And yeah - Armin is dead. Have fun with that addition to the chaos.


End file.
